Rare Books 6: Three views of the eighteenth century

Rare book cataloguing can, by chance, offer glimpses of bygone zeitgeists. A magnificent collected works of Saint Teresa of Avila, which may explain the magnificent dedication to the Spanish King Ferdinand VI. (Madrid, 1752) Notes: The main challenge remains identifying the maker of the illustrative prints of the saint’s life. He signs himself “Is. ã Palm. Scuplt.” Or Palom., therefore needing an author added entry. I would be grateful to a fine arts researcher who could direct me to the right authority. Even, guesses. The pages themselves have wide margins, crystal clear print, and are snow white after 250 years: an absolute pleasure for the reader. This paper has survived better than much modern pulp product. One of the many popular imprint accounts of the discoveries made by Captains Cook, Clerke, Gore, and King during the 1770s, in three volumes. (Dublin, 1784) Notes: This set’s Irish origins suggest it may have been bought by an interested Carmelite, only to be carried subsequently across the water to the Antipodes. Talking of popular discoveries, today uncovers a sixth edition of the best of William Shakespeare, who became all the rage (again) in the run-up to Romanticism. (London, 1792) Notes: Sources outside the book confirm that the editor is William Dodd (1729-1777), whether due to modesty or the need for anonymity. Online tells us that he was an Anglican clergyman and a man of letters. He lived extravagantly, and was nicknamed the Macaroni Parson. His wiki continues, “[Dodd] dabbled in forgery in an effort to clear his debts, and was caught and convicted. Despite a public campaign for a Royal pardon, in which he received the assistance of Samuel Johnson, he was hanged at Tyburn for forgery.” Dodd arranged the beauties by play and subject, but Trove’s numerous edition records for this precise title add to a cataloguer’s woes with lines like these for the fifth edition: “A different selection from that by William Dodd.”